Underneath A Thousand Skies ✔️

34 Favoring Qie Over Wife (34)

Since he did not bring up the topic, she didn't pursue it either. Song Jia was very satisfied with her 'virtuous wife' attitude.

Prime Minister Li, her mother, and her grandmother greatly welcomed Song Jia when she arrived. Matriarch Li also wanted to visit her granddaughter in the wangfu when she heard that she was in a coma, but due to her old age, both Prime Minister Li and Da furen were strongly against it.

After calming down her father's remaining anger towards Zhao Cheng, and reassuring her mother and grandmother that she was feeling fine, Song Jia went with Li Hua towards her old courtyard. Looking at how well-kept it was, Song Jia knew that it was proof of how much her parents loved her.

She examined the old books placed haphazardly on the Many Treasure Shelf as Li Hua threw herself on the arhat couch. Holding the Six Strategic Teachings on one hand and flipping the page with another, Song Jia was about to start reading when a vexed Li Hua suddenly burst out, "That man is no good at all!"

A calm Song Jia who was already getting used to the people around her becoming angry for her sake replied, "Which man does san mei think is no good?"

"Who else can it be but that useless husband of yours, san danxia!"

The corners of Song Jia's lips rose up. "I thought you said you will marry an outstanding man like the third prince?"

Li Hua choked. "I did say that, but..."

She suddenly glanced up at Song Jia, looking confused. "Da jie, are you not mad at the third prince at all? After all, you...didn't you..."

Didn't you love him?

"Feelings change with the waxing and waning of the moon." Song Jia laughed a little at her own inward joke. "My husband has his own sweetheart, so why should I interfere?"

"But he's your husband!"

"Exactly. He already has that position, so should I give him the position in my heart as well?" Song Jia's eyes lifted up from the book that she was holding and met Li Hua's confused gaze. "San mei, women have very little power in this era. If you can't change your circumstances, then change who controls your happiness. The third prince loves somebody else, that is already a misfortune, if I let myself cry over it, then that would be an even greater misfortune."

She placed the book back on the shelf,  "I've chosen the wrong beginning, but that doesn't mean I can't change the ending."

It was just like what she said to Li Jia. She was the one who chose to love Zhao Cheng, so why blame him for not loving her back? Instead of persisting on going into that unhappy road, why not let go of her disappointment and start exploring another route? Song Jia deeply believed that one shouldn't put their happiness in other people's hands.

"Da jie...somehow, you've become really wise." Li Hua felt like she was an entirely different person, "If father had heard you saying this, he would probably never be able to believe it."

"San mei overpraises me."

Song Jia spent an entire day at the Prime Minister's estate, only returning late in the evening to the wangfu. Zhao Cheng's letter for that week had already arrived. In her last letter, Song Jia became too lazy to write and so listed twenty questions for him to answer. Glancing at the two-page letter that was filled with his handwriting, she was surprised that he took it so seriously.

To her first question that asked him what his first impression was of her, Zhao Cheng replied, "I thought you were like a hibiscus flower."

This sounded very good to the ears, but Song Jia smiled coldly. Hibiscus flowers symbolize fame, riches, glory, and fleeting beauty. Didn't this mean that he thought she was after his status?

Zhao Cheng continued, "On the few times that I went to visit Prime Minister Li, you always seem to be poised and dignified, only it felt a bit too fake to me. Maybe I was too conditioned in the palace to be on guard towards women that seemed pure, however, it was my mistake to use it to judge you. I slowly learned, you were very different from all of my presumptions. It was only after our marriage that I knew the real you."

He wrote more paragraphs extolling her virtues and grace after this, but Song Jia felt uncomfortable being praised so highly. Regardless of whether it was flattery or sincere praise, Song Jia did not want her head to become too big.

Unlike the first one, the rest of her questions were all silly, like whether he wanted to eat spicy food during hot or cold weather. Song Jia also wrote to him that if he had the chance, would he exchange his looks for wealth, or wealth for his looks?

Finally, her last question asked, a bit jokingly, if he wanted to become the Emperor. Song Jia wrote this because she knew that her letters were being sent with utmost confidentiality, otherwise she wouldn't have the courage to write it at all.

To her surprise, unlike his previous replies, Zhao Cheng just wrote a single word.

A firm, and resolute 'no'.

Song Jia's heart jerked.